Paul Martin
REGIONAL REPORTS
DirectorsAt Large
W
ith this issue of the MBA magazine, we are now rapidly approaching the fall hunting seasons. I wish you all great success. At this time I have drawn no special tags while friends of mine have drawn ewe, ram and even a bison tag! My success for special tags is about as good as the drawing for bows at banquet! Maybe I’ll get drawn next year?
So get out and do your preseason scouting... loose those arrows and tune that equipment. Shoot straight and have a wonderful season. Be safe. But now on to a serious note... in November there will be a very important election. In particular sportsmen and women MUST pay close attention to issues related to hunting access, streamside access, funding for FWP, block management funding, and whether or not ownership and management of public lands (including our coveted National Parks) are going to stay in the hands of the public or be sold off to the highest bidder. PLEASE... educate yourself about these issues. Talk to the candidates and pay attention to any debates and public forums. Check the sportsmen’s alliance conservation voting records. Which candidates want to cut or freeze wildlife funding? Who wants to stop funds for block management? Who voted against the corner crossing bill? Who tried to throw out our stream side access law? The people that do not support funding our Fish Wildlife and Parks, access to public lands and wildlife habitat need to be sent packing or not allowed into office in the first place. Some crazy extremists entered into the MT legislature over the last several years that wanted to privatize wildlife, defund FWP, and block or hinder public access to public lands. And don’t forget to pay attention to our state Supreme Court election. Why are out of state dark money groups pouring huge amounts of money into Montana’s Supreme Court race? What do they expect for their investment? They are endorsing the candidate with minimal experience and the candidate would vote to overturn streamside access law. If you support the wrong candidate that votes against your self-interests as a sportsman/outdoor recreationist you have simply shot yourself in the foot. Once our public lands have been sold off we will never get them back. I do not want to live in a state like Texas where there are no public lands and hunting is only for those that can afford the fees to hunt the privately owned lands. Don’t let this happen to Montana. Montanans cherish our public lands for recreation. Let’s keep these public lands public. Get involved. Get educated. Get registered. Go VOTE! I am a sportsman and I VOTE!
T
his is my report on the Spring Bear hunting season here in Region 1. In 2016 343 bears were harvested in comparison to 2015’s 367 and 2014’s 340 bears. This tells us that we have a very stable population of black bears here in Region 1. Due to being overly busy with the MBEF obligations, I limited myself to just the last day of Spring bear, which is one of my favorite hunts, and possibly kill a bear with my Cocobolo bow. Six miles in on one of my old favorite gated roads, with only a few more minutes of legal light I got a shot at a nice chocolate black bear. For those of you who may not know FWP no longer tests the meat for trichinella, they just recommend that you cook it to 160 degrees. Those bear burgers are just delicious, but best of all I now get to call the Cocobolo bow the Cocobolo killer. At the time of writing this report we will have officially started construction of the pavilion/barn at the MBEF property that will be used for club and group meetings, all youth groups, and future archery/bow hunting seminars, and storage for the field targets. We want to thank all the supporters of the MBEF through the purchase of the Bowhunter license plate, this is a big step towards building the museum/education center. The MBEF hosted the 2nd annual PRE-SEASON COUNT DOWN SHOOT put on by the Flathead Valley Archers. This is a 40 target 3D shoot with awards and the introduction of a new class of competition. The new class was shooting a compound bow one day and a traditional bow the next day for a combined total score. This shoot took place on July 23 & 24; this is an annual event so if you missed this year we hope to see you there in 2017. We will be out hunting, shoot straight, help one another, put some meat in the freezer and enjoy our bowhunting heritage.
Paul Martin
Roger Peffer Ray Gross
B
ow hunting season is right around the corner. Archery antelope opens August 15, archery elk for deer and bear open September 3, and if you were lucky enough to draw a special permit for big horn sheep, mountain goat, or moose, September 3 or September 15. Drawing a limited archery elk permit is also icing on the cake. I put in for HD 410 and am looking forward to a great hunt in new country. A Montana resident has great odds of drawing a limited archery elk permit every year. Being a bowhunter in Montana is exciting.
Ray Gross 10
Montana
BOWHUNTER
WWW.MTBA.ORG